Happily Ever After
by Lana Langston
Summary: Since I was a young,I know my destiny was to carry out my stepfather's revenge. Yet, there are moments that I wish I could live a normal life like an ordinary person. After all that has happened, is it possible for me to have a normal life? Yoon Sung POV. City Hunter K-Drama!
1. Chapter 1

_Nowadays, I've been watching Korean drama. They're so addictive and entertaining! Recently, I've finished the Korean drama adaptation of City Hunter, which is based off a shounen manga series by __Tsukasa Hojo. I really enjoyed watching this City Hunter! The entire cast of City Hunter was really amazing! I highly recommend this korean drama to those who love watching action-packed dramas that isn't revolved around just romance and cliches! _

___Although, the ending of k-drama City Hunter was slightly disappointing. After all the crazyiness that happened up til the last episodes, I though there would have been a happier ending with more closure. I wanted to re-write the ending, so there was a more happier ending. This is my inspiration for this fan fiction. _

_I'm sure that there are many of you don't know of the characters within the show. So, I'm going to list the main characters involved in this fan fiction to better help you understand._

**_List of characters_**

_Lee Yoon Sung: the main protagonist character. He is nicknamed "City Hunter" for his unconventional yet effective methods of bringing justice in society._

_Lee Jin Pyo: Yoon Sung's stepfather and is also referred to as the General_

___Kim Sang-gook: Jin Pyo's right-hand man _

_Kim Nana: Yoon Sung's love interest_

_Prosecutor Kim Young Joo: a prosecutor at the Seoul District Prosecutor's Office who actively works to figure out the real identity of the "City Hunter"_

_Ajusshi: in korean this term can mean "uncle" or "older man"...and in this show both of these meanings are true. Lee Yoon Sung considers this character his "uncle" even if they aren't blood-related and the character is an older man. Ajusshi acts like a father-like figure to Yoon Sung providing more love and support than Lee Jin Pyo usually. His real name isn't used too much throughout the show only on very few occassions._

_Hwang Sun-Hee: Prosecutor Young Joo's ex-wife. She is a good friend to Lee Yoon Sung and Kim Nana. _

_Shin Eun-ah: Kim Nana's friend and work colleague _

_**I do not own any of these characters! Warning: There are many spoilers from the show in this fan fiction! This is rated M because there is violence and intense action-packed sequences along with mild language within this fanfic.  
**_

**_Hope you enjoy reading my fan fiction! I'd love to hear you guys feedback! R&R!_**

* * *

**_~Prologue~_**

In 1983, a covert government mission code-named "Sweep Mission" was created to infiltrate North Korea to kill the top Generals of the North Korean army. My father, Mu-Yeol, and Jin Pyo along with the other 19 men were betrayed by the South Korean government who abruptly aborted the covert mission to avert an international crisis and destroy relations with the US. Twenty men died in the waters of Nampo. A sniper was paid to strategically assassinate them to prevent their covert mission becoming public. My father, who was already injured, saved Jin Pyo blocking him from the bullet and died in the waters of Nampo. Lee Jin Pyo was the only survivor of the "Sweep Mission". Upon returning back to South Korea, my stepfather soon discovered that all records of the mission has been incinerated and destroyed. He dedicated the rest of his life to carry out revenge to those involved in the "Sweep Mission".

For 17 years of my life, my stepfather raised me in the Golden Triangle. We lived rather comfortably thanks to my stepfather's profitable drug business that distributed drugs throughout Asia. He ran his drug business from our small remote village in Thailand. I didn't have a very pleasant childhood. I grew up not knowing what it was like to have kind and doting parents or guardians like other children. My stepfather believed that loving someone made you weak. The only love his showed was tough love. Our small village was very remote which made it difficult to be discovered by outsiders. Jin Pyo went through great lengths to ensure that no found out about his identity nor his connection to the "Sweep Mission". He made my life a living hell by putting me through very rigorous combat training starting at the age of 7. His goal was to train me to become a skilled fighter. When he felt I was ready, together we would carry out his revenge to bring back honor to those 20 men who died in waters of Nampo. We didn't know exactly who the five people that made up the Council that abruptly terminated that covert mission due to lack of documents and evidence that were available. All of the incriminating evidence had been destroyed.

The General could be cruel and ruthless at times yet he had a loving side that he rarely shows. He had a soft spot for me. He took care of me as if I was his own son. Everything that he has done for me was mean to prepare me for my destiny. I cannot live a normal life like other ordinary people. A normal life just isn't possible.

The only semblance of a "normal" life I had was the time I spent in America. I could experience the "normal" college life, but I lived a double life taking on the identity of a deceased Korean-American citizen from Texas. To keep my true identity safe, I assumed the name Johnny Lee. I was able to start off with a clean slate and forget everything else about my past except my mission of revenge, information pertaining to the sweep mission, and the General. In seven years, I got my undergraduate and doctorate degree from MIT.

I returned back to my home country of South Korea after living abroad for 28 years. Stepfather has repeated warned me to trust no one and never fall in love because it would reveal my true identity and put them in danger. Now, my goal is to carry out my stepfather's revenge and return honor to those 20 men who died fighting for their country. I've got a job as an IT expert under the National Communication Network Team in the Blue House. I will discover the identities of those five men and get revenge for my father's death. This is my fate. I will successfully complete this mission. There is no room for failure.


	2. Chapter 2

_I'm really enjoying writing this new fan fiction where I can vent my love for k-drama City Hunter! I hope you all are enjoying reading this story! R&R!_

* * *

_**~Background~**_

My entire life has been a complete lie. First, my stepfather, also known as the General or Lee Jin Pyo, told me since I was a young boy my own mother abandoned me when I was only one-month old. Apparently, she couldn't look at her own son without being reminded of her husband who mysteriously went M.I.A. on a government mission. To top off the cake, he told me that she was dead.

All of that is bullshit. Accidently overhearing a conversion with his henchmen, my stepfather revealed that he had kidnapped me from my mother when I was one-month old. That's not the worst part. He promised my father that he would avenge him by using his own son. Basically, he kidnapped me as a baby and raised me as his own with the intent of rigorously training me in combat to unleash revenge upon those five government officials involved in the "Sweep Mission" of 1983. Most importantly, my mother was still alive. He purposely kept this truth from me, so I could properly carry out his revenge. Any sentimental attachments or desires would soften me and make me a less effective combatant against my powerful enemies.

As I promised my stepfather, I have almost accomplished the task of revealing the identities of all five men involved in the 1983 Sweep Mission and unleashing my revenge on them. The General and I just seem to disagree on how they should be punished. Stepfather wants me to kill all five of those sons of bitches who betrayed their country. What they did was ruthless and unforgivable, yet killing them will not bring about proper justice. Also, those men have families and their deaths would spark a never-ending viscous cycle of violence and murder. I've managed to bring justice without murdering them in cold blood.

Many people refer to me as the "City Hunter", the modern-day Batman. The most effective way to bring them to justice was to expose their corruptive activities and injustices to all of society. My method of bringing justice teaches my targets that they couldn't escape the laws set in place. Just because they were high-level officials, it doesn't exempt them from the law and justice system.

My first target was Lee Kyung Wan. I shed light on his corruption of pocketing poor children's welfare funds and sent him to prison. The General felt that my method of punishment wasn't enough harsh enough and intervened. When he came into the hospital with major health complication, Jin Pyo took the liberty of killing him making it seem that the health complications were the cause of this death. My second target was Seo Yong Hak. I shed light on his corruption of providing substandard combat books to military men and purchasing defective fighter planes which destroyed his entire presidential campaign. He went to prison. My third target was Kim Jong Shik. In the process of digging up information on Kim Jong Shik and his corruptive activities, I discovered that Prosecutor Kim Young Joo was his son. Whatever evidence I used to destroy Kim Jong Shik would directly impact Kim Young Joo's career as a prosecutor. My father manipulated me to become ruthless by making me believe that adjussi was hit by Jong Shik's car when it was my stepfather who did. I let my rage get the best of me. Instead of imprisoning him like the other two men, I caused him to become comatose when he tried to retrieve the incriminating evidence from me. He fell over a pedestrian walkway and was hit by an ongoing car.

My fourth target was Chun Jae Man. He was slick bastard. It was a difficult task to find incriminating evidence of his corruption. The other three men were easier to bring down, but Chun Jae Man was my most difficult opponent to destroy. I gladly accepted this daunting challenge. He was in possession of the very document that had details about the Sweep Mission of 1983. I thoroughly searched his office thinking he would stash that book somewhere within his office. I found nothing, but I did find more evidence to support my claim of his corruptions. Things became more complicated when Jin-Pyo posed as a Korean-American business man under his alias of Steve Lee who owned a deer antler business in America. It couldn't understand why he would invest 500 million won to Chun Jae Man's company that was nearing bankruptcy. It seemed I was racing against the clock to find that book containing pertinent information on the Sweep Mission and making sure that Jae Man was still alive when I bring him to justice. It would be useless if he was dead. I know that my stepfather wanted to murder that bastard himself, but I won't allow him to! Murder and violence will not solve any problems it will only create more! I had wiretapped Chun Jae Man's office, so I carefully listened into his conversations especially with my stepfather. I soon realized his plan to invest in Jae Man's company was so he could destroy the company himself and Jae Man's reputation in the process. It would be killing two birds with one stone. This would leave him with no company or money making him very vulnerable and off his A game. Stepfather would take advance of Jae Man's vulnerable state and murder him in cold blood.

I couldn't let him do that not before Jae Man confessed his corruption. It seemed that no matter how much I tried Jin Pyo was ten steps ahead of me. Jae Man had called me once after he had gone into hiding and disappeared from the public eye altogether. The loud, cacophonous machine sounds behind sounded familiar. I had his right-hand henchmen locked in my basement. He informed me that Chun Jae Man had gone off the map and was hiding out at a car junk yard. Once I located which junk yard Jae Man was hiding out at, I put the pedal to the medal to get there as soon as possible before he got on his escape boat and left the country permanently. I was certain that the documentation of the 1983 Sweep Mission would be stashed with him at the junk yard. To my surprise, Prosecutor Kim Young Joo was at the junk yard also. My stepfather had sent a text message telling Young Joo where the documentation was and to retrieve it, but made it look like the City Hunter had sent the text not him. Unarmed and alone, Kim Young Joo rushed to the junk yard to find the documentation. He fought like hell to retrieve the document and died doing so. Unfortunately, I had arrived too late because I wasn't able to save him. He had lost too much blood. Prosecutor Kim Young Joo was laying on ground a massive pool of his own blood by the time I'd found him. I will never forget his last words to me right before he died. "You'll find the documentation in the car that is in the compressor now. Hurry! Go find that book and reveal the truth about the Sweep Mission of 1983. I believe in you. City Hunter. Lee Yoon Sung, forgive my father." Prosecutor Kim Young Joo died fighting to carry out justice to those who thought they could evade the justice system and punishment.

Conflicted thoughts overwhelmed me. Prosecutor Young Joo and I were never friends. Though, we had mutually respected each other even if we couldn't stand each other sometimes. Yet, he was willing to risk his life and die retrieving an important document that would shed the light of truth on the Sweep Mission of 1983. This wasn't his battle to fight, but he chose to risk his life to help me. Young Joo would never admit it out loud, but I think he saw me, the City Hunter, as a hero who used unconventional methods of bringing justice which the justice system and laws had failed to do. He was one hell of a prosecutor who firmly believed in upholding the laws of the justice system. Even though at times it seemed that we were completely opposite people, our personal beliefs that all citizens regardless of your social standing would have to face the justice system. Bad decisions or actions always have consequences. In the end, Prosecutor Kim Young Joo and I had formed an unlikely alliance despite our conflicts and differences.

I managed to retrieve that book from the car before the compressor flattened the car like a pancake. Knowing my conniving stepfather, he was most likely already here and carrying out a manhunt for Chun Jae Man. There was no need to murder Jae Man even after all the terrible acts of corruption he committed. The justice system would bring down the law on him, not me or Jin Pyo. I had time to look at that book when I returned home. No exactly sure where Jin Pyo was right now. If I found the getaway boat Jae Man was going to embark on, then I would find my stepfather somewhere nearby lying in wait to kill him. The getaway boat should be the last boat docked at the end of the long pier if I correctly recall what his right-hand henchman told me. It could be lie. This could be a trap. Unless I actually checked it out I couldn't verify that.

It wasn't a lie. Jae Man's right-hand henchman was telling the truth. It seemed the odds were in my favor. The darkness of night shielded me from being easily spotted along with my all black outfit. A trail of Jae Man's unconscious body guards led me straight to the right boat. Two figures were standing at the back of the boat. One of them was definitely Jae Man. I really hope that the other figure wasn't my stepfather. Chun Jae Man would be dead by the time I got there. Jin Pyo's right-hand henchmen, Kim Sang-gook was subtly keeping look out in front of the boat. I was too late! Damn it! Jin Pyo and Sang-gook left shortly.

Making sure that the coast was clear, I sprinted towards the boat and slowly approached the back of the boat. There was no sound or movement. Only dead silence. No pun intended. Chun Jae Man lay dead in a pool of his blood. In one of his hands, there was a pistol. My stepfather purposely did that to make it look like Jae Man committed suicide instead looking like a homicide. Lee Jin Pyo had been me this time. The anger that I had tried to suppress exploded like a bomb inside of me.

I wouldn't let my stepfather beat me to the punch of revealing the identity of the last target! Driving at a ridicously fast speed, I must have looked like a blur to a pedestrian. Immediately I arrived back home, I headed to my study and cracked open the book. It confirmed what I already knew. Lee Kyung Wan, Seo Yong Hak, Kim Jong Shik, and Chun Jae Man were involved in the Sweep Mission in 1983. The identity of the person who the mastermind this covert government mission was not someone I would have expected. The fifth person involved was the current President, Choi Eung-chan.

I was speechless and completely shell-shocked by this revelation. It wasn't possible. This document had to be incorrect. The Choi Eung-chan that I had come to know these past few weeks wasn't capable of such an atrocious act. That night I lay awake restless and unable to sleep. My mind replayed over all of the memories I had of the President and the quality moments I'd spent with him. It still couldn't wrap my head around the fact the entire Sweep Mission of 1983 was initiated by President Choi Eung-chan.

While that didn't make any sense, something else seemed to dawn on me. A while back, my mother made a comment when she saw I removed the beans from my rice just like my father. President Choi had invited me to lunch with his daughter to discuss her progress. I noticed that he removed the beans from his rice just like me. At that time, I didn't see any significance to such a mundane detail, but now it doesn't seem like such a mundane detail now. The President had called me urgently to come to his office one day. His secretary let me into his office and told me that the President would come soon for he was running late because of a meeting. I casually walked around his office and observed how it was decorated. How and what someone puts in their office call tell a lot about themselves. As I was glancing at his desk, a handkerchief with an embroidered simple yellow flower lay on his desk. It looked rather similar to the one my mother had made me. I brushed that off as a mere coincidence also. How could I have just brushed both of those memories as just mere coincidences! I have asked my mother frequently to talk about my father and based off what she had told me I was beginning to put the puzzle pieces together. The President did frequently mention a woman he knew decades ago that had a major impact on his life. The way he described this woman sounded just like my mother. All of the evidence seemed to add up and make sense now. My _real_ father was President Choi Eung-chan, not Park Mu-Yeol. The next morning, I visited the hospital to see my mother. I needed her to tell me who my real father was. This was the only way to confirm my revelation. Confirming my revelation, my mother told me that Choi Eung-chan was my biological father.

After their affair ended, Choi Eung-chan didn't know that my mother was pregnant with his child nor that she gave birth to a son. Chun Jae Man knew this and kept this information to himself in case he needed to blackmail the President. Park Mu-Yeol, her husband, and Lee Jin Pyo, his friend, knew about his as well.

My whole life has been a complete lie!

I thought that carrying out my stepfather's revenge would be a piece of cake, but the deeper I got involved the more complicated the overall mission became. These two revelations of President Choi Eung-chan were a curveball to the overall goal of my mission of revenge against the five government officials involved in the Sweep Mission.

There is one thing that I still cannot make sense of. My stepfather has been aware of the identity of my biological father, yet since I was a young boy he repeatedly told me that Park Mu-Yeol was my real father. That was a lie. The only reason I can think of that Jin Pyo would lie about the identity of my real father was so I could avenge the death of his friend, Mu-Yeol, and the other 19 men who died in the waters of Nampo. I might not have agreed to carry out my stepfather's revenge if I knew that my father was still alive.

Although, I now know that Choi Eung-chan is not only my biological father but he was the _mastermind_ who initiated the entire Sweep Mission. With the truth coming out, it is unraveling all of the lies that I've been told my entire life. I'm not sure whether I would have still carried this mission of revenge if Jin Pyo had told me this when I was younger. It probably wouldn't have changed my decision regardless. I don't think I can complete my stepfather's revenge to the end especially with the information I know now.

Lee Jin Pyo intervened as I was working to carry out revenge on the other four and successfully managed with Lee Kyung Wan and Chun Jae Man. Now, he was going to back out for he wanted me to deal with the fifth and last target on my own without any of his help or involvement. So many things have changed. It would have been easier to deal with Choi Eung-chan if I hadn't spent any quality time with him. In the short time I've spent with him, he has been so kind and loving to me. President Choi Eung-chan even felt comfortable enough to confiding some things that no one else about him to me. He is loving father to his daughters.

Why would Lee Jin Pyo want me to kill my own father? How could I continue to live my life knowing that my hands were stained with my father's blood? The guilt would haunt me my entire life. I know that he was involved in the Sweep Mission of 1983, but there were other ways of getting revenge that don't involve murder or bloodshed. Hasn't enough blood been shed? If Jin Pyo had carried out his revenge himself, all five of the men would be murdered by his own hand. His obsession with killing these five bastards is how he feels is the only way to avenge the dead of those 20 men who were betrayed by their own country. Now no longer wanting any part of carrying out the final part of his revenge, my stepfather expects me to kill President Choi Eung-chan, my own father. How did my life come to this?

* * *

_The prologue provided you with important background information that the plot of the show revolves around. The second chapter is an overview of important plot events from 19 episodes. It was a tricky to do, but as I pick up from events that happened in episode 20 and into my alternative ending it is important to understand. Otherwise, you will be confused. _

_I have so many potential ideas for my alternative ending of k-drama City Hunter. Be ready for some awesome showdowns and action along with some romance thrown in. Summer is fast approaching, so I will definitely have more time to write which is awesome!_


	3. Chapter 3

_I'm diligently working to do my best to update as soon as possible...but that all depends on how much time I have to write. Thank you for your patience! This was a truly gut-wrenching scene that I've written so far for this story. I hope you enjoy it! I would love to hear your feedbacks! R&R! _

* * *

******~The Final Showdown~**

The General pointed the gun at the President. Knowing Jin Pyo, there were only two bullets in his pistol. One bullet to kill President Choi and the other bullet to kill himself. Blocking Jin Pyo from getting a clear shot at the President, Nana assessed the situation being cautious not to make any sudden movements that would cause Jin Pyo to pull the trigger. Her gun was pointed at Lee Jin Pyo. Tension hung heavy in the air. If Jin Pyo came to kill President Choi who was the mastermind of the Sweep Mission of 1983, then he would have pulled the trigger already. Clearly, he didn't intend on killing the Choi Eung-chan until Jin Pyo got to say what he has been keeping inside for 28 years.

Breaking the tense silence, my stepfather began directed his word towards the President, "I've come to collect that life you owe."

Attempting to keep a straight face devoid of any emotion, President Choi gently spoke to his bodyguard, Nana, "I'm sorry but I've got to deal with this matter personally." Nana, who was formerly standing in front of him as a human shield, was moved aside.

I've come to understand how Lee Jin Pyo functions and why he does what he does after living with him for the past twenty years. The intense gaze in his eyes and ruthless facial expression means that he is now ready to carry out his final revenge. With Nana no longer blocking his shot of the President, my stepfather pulled the trigger.

I loved my stepfather, but I wasn't going to let him kill my biological father even if he was involved in the Sweep Mission of 1983. He expected me to kill him myself. If I did do that then how the hell could he expect me to go on living my life knowing that it was my own hands that killed Choi Eung-chan. My hands would be forever stained with his blood. Killing President Choi, it would force the woman I love to point her gun at me and shoot me.

I had warned stepfather multiple times that I would block him with my own hands and body before I let him kill the last target. Without hesitating, I ran in front of the bullet heading towards my biological father. A searing pain spread throughout my body as ripped through my left shoulder very close to my previous bullet wound. I was aware that I potentially had re-opened my previous bullet wound that meant the internal bleeding would be much worse. I know that my stepfather had aimed straight for Eung-chan's heart, but I would take that bullet instead risking the possibility of dying from massive internal bleeding. The searing pain continued to manifest throughout my body like mini-bombs going off within short intervals of each other. Standing on my own two feet became impossibly difficult as I felt to my knees give up and collapsed under me as I fell to the ground. I couldn't focus on anything but the intense pain ripping through my body and the rapidly fast beating of my heart. My own breathing had begun to slow down and become shallower as I was unable to take in deep breathes. My usually sharp vision now could only see the room as blurry images swirling around the room. Just as I collapsed on the ground, Nana, who already had her gun pointed towards Lee Jin Pyo, pulled the trigger aiming as his heart. The bullet didn't go through his heart but pretty damn close to cause massive internal bleeding much worse than mine.

As the bullet ripped through me, I witnessed the sheer shock upon my stepfather's face. He now understood that I was serious when I said I would use my own hands and body to block his 28 years of revenge against the five men who formulated the Sweep Mission of 1983. The moment I collapsed on the ground Kim Nana dropped her gun and ran towards me kneeling by my side.

The other body guards assigned to the President burst into the room with their guns pointed straight at Lee Jin Pyo.

Although he was wounded, it seemed that he could still somewhat stand and speak coherently. With his gun still firmly in his hands he continued, "Let me introduce myself. My name is Lee Jin Pyo. I am the only survivor of the Sweep Mission of 1983. I killed Lee Kyung-Wan and Chun Jae Man. It was me who caused Kim Jong Shik to fall off the bridge and become comatose for several months. Lastly, it was me who sent Seo Yong Hak to prison. I am...City Hunter."

Tense silence hung heavy in the air.

"No Dad..."I managed to whisper as that was all the energy I had as my breathing had become very shallow.

My stepfather looked at me with a sorrowful glance. _Thunk ...thunk...thud. _He discharged the bullet cartridge of his gun as the bullet cartridge hit the marble floor. Turning around pointing his gun that had no bullet in it, this only provoked the body guards to pump many rounds of ammo into my stepfather.

It was at that moment I realized that my stepfather did want me to have a normal life with the woman I loved by admitting that he was the City Hunter. No matter the good acts that I had done as City Hunter the government officials would never see me as a hero for the commoners. Lee Jin Pyo must have figured out that this was his way of dying nobly and being memorably honored. He had lived 28 years of his life to carry out his revenge. Now, my stepfather had fulfilled and released his wrath upon the five men involved in the Mission Sweep conspiracy of 1983. He had accomplished his sole purpose in life, even if he failed to kill Choi Eung-chan. Jin Pyo probably felt that with his wrath majorly accomplished that he had no reason to continue living, so he wanted to die honorably.

When the body guards stopped firing bullets into him, his crisp white shirt was drenched in dark red blood. His body was losing blood very rapidly that it would take less than an hour before his extensive internal bleeding would kill him. My stepfather had told me years ago that if he happened to die while unleashing his wrath that he preferred to have a quick death than a slow and painful death. Collapsing effortlessly onto the marble floor, my stepfather who previously had a somber expression now had a facial expression to demonstrate his pain. Lee Jin Pyo had purposely lied to me my whole life so he could use me as an agent of his vengance, but despite that I still loved my stepfather no matter how cruel or ruthless he was to me. Lee Jin Pyo was one hell of a ruthless bastard, but he always supported and took care of me as if I was his own son. He was the closest thing I had to a father.

Mustering up whatever energy, I shifted my body ever so slightly so it wouldn't agitate the pain my body was experiencing. His limp arm lay on the marble floor. I managed with what little strength I had in me to grasp my stepfather's hand. We exchanged soulful glances for a long time. I wanted to be by his side until he died. Even though I didn't have a normal life like many others, Lee Jin Pyo provided the best possible life he could and taught me valuable life lessons I will never forget.

There was bustle of activities going on around us, but that didn't faze us our final moment of bonding. I have no idea how much time went by as I paid my final goodbye to my stepfather, Lee Jin Pyo. He was coming to terms with his departing. The extensive internal bleeding from the multiple rounds of bullets was evident in the massive pool of blood he lay in. His breathing had become very shallow as his heart rate rapidly slowed down.

"Goodbye Lee Yoon Sung...my son. I love you." These were his last words as his eyelids closed and his hand I was grasping became completely limp.

* * *

_Wow! The Final Showdown was quite action-packed!_

_Honestly this was a truly difficult chapter to write because how gut-wrenching and heartbreaking it was. I feel that I did my best to do justice to this intense action sequence that took place during the last 15 minutes of Episode 20 of City Hunter kdrama. _

_What is going to be the aftermath of events after this intense final showdown? How will this affect Lee Yoon Sung? Stay tune and find out in the next chapter! _


	4. Chapter 4

_Hope you enjoy this updated, new chapter of Happily Ever After! Thank you for all of you guys support and patience! Enjoy! R&R!_

* * *

**The Aftermath of the Final Showdown**

The Presidential Security Service people pulled us apart as I tried to resist but barely had any strength left within me. There was so much activity going on around me that I had no idea how many people were in the room at the moment.

I didn't know how to response as he said his last words to me and breathed his last breathe. Instantly, tears rapidly filled my eyes as I softly sobbed. Kim Nana was there the entire time as my stepfather and I spent our last moments together. She never left my side even when President Choi and her superiors asked her to get up. Nana refused to leave my side. Entwining her fingers with mine, she whispered in my ear consolingly as she gently stroked my hair, "It's alright, Yoon Sung-ssi. Everything will be alright. We will get through this together." Using whatever strength and energy I had left, I had fought to maintain semi-consciousness. Also, I was aware that I'd lost a decent amount of blood, but at this point it didn't matter to me. My body was too weary and weak as my world faded into blackness.

When I re-gained consciousness, I found myself lying in a hospital bed. I wasn't a huge fan of hospitals, so my first instinct was the get the hell out of there. As the City Hunter, if I was injured no matter how bad the wound was I couldn't trust the hospitals to treat me. It was Hwang Sun-Hee, Prosecutor Young Joo's ex-wife and a good friend of mine, who treated my wounds. She was a veterinarian, so she didn't usually treat humans as patients. When Kim Nana saved me by taking a bullet for me, Sun-Hee also treated Nana's bullet wound. I didn't trust hospitals overall even if they did help people.

As I tried to move, I felt four set of hands restrain both of my arms firmly. "You cannot leave, Yoon Sung-ssi. You're lucky that you are still alive. You lost quite a lot of blood and you are in critical condition," a soft female voice said with a strong indication of concern in her voice.

Following the sound of the voice, my gaze met Nana's gaze. Kim Nana didn't look cool as composed like she usually was. Nana hadn't changed out of the same work clothes she'd worn the day of the final showdown. She looked like a mess and from the dark circles under her eyes it seemed she hadn't gotten much sleep. "Kim Nana, how long have you been here? Haven't you gone home yet?" I asked. Her overall unkempt appearance and lack of sleep deeply concerned me.

"I insisted that she go home after they brought you into the hospital and your surgery, but Nana firmly refused to leave you side. Just for reinforcement, you _really_ are lucky you are alive. The bullet not only re-opened up your previous bullet wound, but also was inches away from you heart. If the bullet was two more inches closer, you would have been dead. Please instead of trying to escape from the hospital just focus on your full recovery," Eun-ah replied stressing the importance of a full, speedy recovery. Shin Eun-ah was Kim Nana's friend and her colleague at the Presidential Security Service division of the Blue House.

I have no idea how long I was unconscious. "Nana. Eun-ah. Exactly how long have I been unconscious? The last thing I remember is my stepfather's last words and being pulled away from him..."I said but trailed off as tears began to re-form in my eyes but I blinked them away.

Nana and Eun-ah exchanged glances. "It's been...," Eun-ah began to respond but was cut off by the Doctor who entered my hospital room with a nurse in tow.

"It looks like our patient if finally awake. I'm sorry but I need to privately talk with the patient," the Doctor said.

Eun-ah and Nana nodded. "We will be right outside," Nana reassured me.

"Now that you are awake now, Mr. Lee I'm sure you want to know what happened these four days while you were unconscious."

In sheer surprise, I interjected, "What? I've been unconscious for FOUR days?"

"If you let me finish speaking I will explain everything, Mr. Lee," the Doctor replied with a hint of annoyance in his voice. "Hi, I am Doctor Woo. I'm not sure you are aware of how critical your condition was when you came into the hospital. You had lost nearly 50% of your blood and it didn't help either that the bullet re-opened your previous semi-healed bullet wound. We had to quickly rush you into surgery if you had any chance of survival. Your mother donated her blood that we needed for your transfusion so we could operate on you ASAP. The bullet was only inches away from penetrating you heart and killing you. You are truly lucky to be alive son. There was some complications post- surgery that caused you to become comatose for three days. I wasn't sure you would ever wake up based upon the assessment of how extensive the blood loss was. It's great to see you are awake. You survived quite a trauma that not many survive especially those who come into Emergency Room in the very critical condition you came in. You will need to stay in the hospital for two more weeks at least so I can monitor your full-recovery. If you need anything just notify Nurse Sung. Lastly, I just wanted to remind you that for a patient like you in such a critical condition right now visiting hours will be a little strict, so only one person at a time is allowed in the room during visiting hours. Our primary concern is your well-being and overall recovery. Thank your understanding, Mr. Lee. I will notify your guests that visitation hours are now over."

Doctor Woo and Nurse Sung exited my hospital room. Doctor Woo briefly chatted with Nana and Eun-ah as the ladies nodded their head to whatever he was saying. A few minutes later, Nana re-entered the room and pulled up a chair next to my bed. "I'll be back tomorrow and every day that you are in the hospital until you fully recover," she said firmly grasping my hand. Kim Nana walked out of the room. The Doctor suggested I get lots of sleep which will help speed my recover, so I guess I will try even though I'd be able to fall asleep easier if Nana was here. I will do my best to get out of the hospital in two weeks because I don't think I will be able to be sane if I'm here more than two weeks.

* * *

_Yay! Lee Yoon Sung is alive even if he's in a critical condition from his bullet wound and excessive blood loss. What will his life be like after he has fully recovered? Will things be the same or it drastically change? Stay tuned and find out in the next chapter! _


	5. Chapter 5

___I've been very busy! Also, it seems that I had a mild case of writers block but I've broken my writers block today and began working on my two fan fiction stories. _Thanks for your patience and supporting my City Hunter fan fiction story! Enjoy! R&R!

_Just a reminder...if you are having difficult remembering who some of the characters are refer back to chapter 1! It also gives basic background on the characters that are in this story and how they are associated to Lee Yoon Sung (the main character). _

* * *

**Two Weeks Later...**

The past two weeks were so dull. I couldn't move around too much for the first week because Doctor Woo didn't want me to strain my body since I was still in critical condition. It was miserable being almost 24/7 stuck in my hospital bed. The television in my hospital room had a limited amount of channels so that didn't provide me much entertainment. During the first week, I slept mostly which was wonderful because for the past few months I've been carrying out my stepfather's revenge I only got very minimum amounts of sleep. I was lucky to get 5-6 hours of sleep and my rather hectic schedule only allowed only 3-4 hours of sleep.

Doctor Woo had strict visitation hours, but Kim Nana never failed to be come visit me. In fact, every day when it was visitation hours she would visit me after work. Kangbook Samsung Hospital was nearby the Blue House which was where Nana worked. She was one of President Choi's bodyguards. Also, my mother and ajusshi frequently visited me. Lee Jin Pyo was no longer with me, but I didn't feel alone because all the people I cared about were by my side.

Surprisingly, Kim Sang-gook has often visited me while I was in the hospital. He was my father's right-hand man so I did not know much about him. Sang-gook did help me out a couple times when I was carrying out Jin Pyo's revenge especially towards the latter part by providing me vital inside information about my stepfather's ulterior plans. In fact it was that vital inside information that enabled me to figure out Lee Jin Pyo was going to meet President Choi at the Blue House to confront him and carry out the last steps of his revenge scheme. The several times Sang-gook has come to visit me I've come to realize that he is wasn't a douchebag, but actually he was a decent guy.

There are so many others who came to visit me these past two weeks. Without their support, motivation, and encouragement I don't think that I would have been able to make such speedy recover that I did. This has taught me the true value of family and friends. My stepfather told me when I came to Seoul almost nine months ago not to trust anyone because it would make me vulnerable and they could blow my cover. That is all a bunch of lies. The few people that I befriended I consider my close friends now have been my support system and was always by my side.

No one can live in this world all alone and be content. In fact the first month I arrived in South Korea, I holed myself up in my house mostly almost never stepping outside except for going to work and going out to get necessary items. I thought that in order to successfully carry out my stepfather's revenge I had to come up with a plan that an airtight plan along with back-up plans just in case. This planning stage took over my life as I became increasingly anti-social and disconnected from reality. The slightest aspect of reality in my life was working as an IT Expert in the National Communication Network Team at the Blue House. After the third month of being a social hermit, I couldn't take the extreme loneliness anymore. It began to dawn on me that to my stepfather had trained me since I was a young boy to one day complete and carry out his revenge, but if that was all my life's purpose was what did I have to live for after I had complete Lee Jin Pyo's revenge. Nothing at all. My life's was to complete one mission, so basically there was no point to continue living once that mission was accomplished. This is when my extreme loneliness warped into thoughts of suicide. My whole world was spiraling downwards rapidly. Externally I might look calm and collected, but internally a mental hurricane was threatening my last thread of sanity. This was when I realized that if I couldn't live the rest of my life in solitude completely detached from the real world. Some employees from the National Communication Network Team had invited me to join them for happy hour and karaoke but usually turned down their invitations. This was my first step to entering reality and reversing my unhealthy anti-socialness that I had created in the first three months upon my return to Seoul. Most of all it was Kim Nana that made me discover how valuable it is to have people who love and care about you. Jin Pyo was right that having a group of friends that you care about does make you vulnerable but that's the only way you get to know people more in-depth. Being loved it what makes you want to continue living despite the tumultuous times or struggles you face in your life. True friends are there for you in the good and bad times.

Honestly, the first week or so when I was practically bed ridden and stuck in my hospital room it left me much time to contemplate about many things especially about what has happened these past nine months. I will never forget Lee Jin Pyo and how he sacrificed himself so I could live a normal live without it ever being revealed that I was actually the City Hunter. Although, all the other horrible events that have happened over these past nine months I just want to erase permanently because if I don't it will forever haunt me for the rest of my life. I had told myself many times as I approached the final stages of Jin Pyo's revenge I was going to have a normal life, but I hadn't really thought about how difficult it will be to adjust to a normal life. My whole life has been anything but normal so this transition to a normal life is not going to be easy. Luckily, I'm not alone. What will a normal life look like for me?

* * *

_Now Lee Yoon Sung must determine how he is going to have a normal life. What will a normal life for him be like? Hmmm...I guess you shall have to see in the next chapters! Stay tuned! _


	6. Chapter 6

_Wow...these past few weeks have been hectic. To make up for the long time you had to wait for me to update Chapter 6...I give your readers a longer chapter (this is the longest chapter I have written for this fanfiction). _

_Throughout this chapter you will see an * symbol besides some words. These are words that I will briefly explain below because not everyone knows what it might mean within context of this story and in the Korean culture. This is to help you better understand the story and Korean culture as you are reading it. _

_HSN=abbreviation that stands for Home Shopping Network_

_Golden Triangle=Thailand_

_Umma= mother/mom_

_Kimbap= Korean version of Japanese sushi_

_Kimchi= This is South Korea's national dish...it's a traditional fermented Korean dish made of vegetables with a variety of seasonings like nappa cabbage, radish, scallion, or cucumber (source: Wikipedia)_

_Ddeokbokki= This is a popular South Korean snack food that is a braised dish of sliced rice cake, meat, eggs, and seasoning. (source: Wikipedia)_

_Adhul= son_

_Ki-Joon=Yoon-Sung's work colleague from the National Communication Network Team department_

_Omo= another version of the expression "Oh My God" and "Oh My Gosh"_

_Aish= this is a phrase that expresses annoyance or frustration. The meaning of expression when translated into English... this can range from "crap" to "dammit" depending on the context it is used.  
_

_Uppa=father/dad_

_Ahjumma= respective term that translates to "older woman" or "aunt" depending on the context it is used in. In the story, Sun-Hee refers to Yoon Sung's mother as "ahjumma" because even though she is close friends with Yoon Sung-ssi and she is being respectful. She doesn't feel comfortable yet to call Yoon Sung's mother "umma" yet because she doesn't know her that well. _

_Thank you so much for your patience. I appreciate your support for my City Hunter fanfiction! Enjoy! I would love to hear you feedback! R&R!_

* * *

**Phase 1: The Commencement of a Normal Life**

Yesterday, Doctor Woo and Nurse Seo ran a few more tests before affirming that I could be released from the Kangbook Samsung Hospital today. I'm so happy to be leaving and began adjusting back to the real world outside this hospital which I've been staying at for the past two weeks. I've been conflicted with so many emotions. Happiness. Anxiety. Fear. I guess this is to be expected now that I'd transitioning from dangerous life into a normal life. What the hell would a normal life mean for me?

It truly scared me that I will not like living a normal life because it will be too dull compared to how my entire life has been. Yes, my entire life has put me in many life-threatening, dangerous situations. Nevertheless, my life has never been dull. I wander what my life would have been like if Jin Pyo didn't kidnap me from my mother when I was a baby and raised me to fulfill and carry out his revenge against those government officials involved in the Sweep Mission. What if I'd lived with my mother never knowing who Lee Jin Pyo was? I'm sure my life would have been drastically different from what it has been for the past 29 years.

One thing that I am certain about is that no matter how long it takes to adjust to a normal life that I cannot keep living like I have been. By continuing to live the kind of life I've had, I'd be constantly putting my loved one in danger where their very lives would be at risk as a result of association with me. This past several months that I've been the City Hunter I've seen my fair share of victories of bringing justice to the citizens of society who have experienced so much injustice, but simultaneously had to sacrifice my own personal happiness and on many occasions my own life in doing so.

I want to live a long life with my friends and family by my side. The kind of lifestyle I've been living with my entire life would only result in a premature death. I've finally got to meet my biological mother after many years, so what good would it do if I prematurely died before getting to rebuild my relationship with my mother. Prosecutor Young Joo died as a result of wanting to correct the injustice in society and desire to expose the deep dark secrets swirling around the Sweep Mission of 1983. He risked his own life to save mine. I feel like I owe Prosecutor Kim Young Joo. I will not recklessly throw away my own life by continuing to live my life putting my safety and well-being in continual jeopardy.

First step to transitioning into a normal life is to quit my job as an IT Expert at the Blue House's National Communication Network Team. I'm sure my IT expertise can be utilized in other ways that didn't put my life at risk. Knowing that many government secrets and conspiracies was too dangerous. Right now I have no idea how I can apply my IT knowledge to the real world, but I will figure out how. There has got to be a way I can solve the injustices in society without risking my own life.

All my time being in this hospital has given me more than enough to think about my past, present, and future. All this thinking and pondering about my life has been so exhausted. I need I'm going to take a long nap and give my brain a break from thinking.

_Five hours later..._

My mother and Kim Nana were standing outside of my hospital room talking with Doctor Woo. While they were talking to the Doctor, adjusshi was sitting on the chair next to my bed. "I'm so glad that you are being released from the hospital today," he remarked with a big smile. "Without you being in your penthouse apartment, it has felt like I've been living in huge mansion all by myself. I had no one to talk to, but your mother would occasionally drop with some food and give me updates on your recovery. I no longer spend much time on HSN* channel. There's no point in buying more items if I'm the only person in the house who would use it. I didn't realize how I'd gotten used to your company that when it was just me in the penthouse I felt so alone. I'm sure you are glad to be returning back home."

Adjusshi and I had similar personalities. We didn't have many friends and have spent most of our life in solitude trying to escape from things we want to forget about. When my stepfather and I lived in the Golden Triangle*, we adopted adjusshi as our cook and housekeeper. Jin Pyo didn't allow me to play with the other children in the village so usually the only social interaction I had was with adjusshi who was sort of became my babysitter as well. As I grew up, adjusshi and I got to know each other better and understood each other when majority of people didn't. Adjusshi provided the love and support that Jin Pyo, my stepfather, failed to give me. We were not blood-related, but we had a close bond. Adjusshi is the closest thing to a family that I have since I grew up not knowing who my mother was.

I caught up with adjusshi about what things had happened while I've been in the hospital, since it seemed that whatever Doctor Woo was telling my mother and Kim Nana was taking longer than I expected. That made me slightly nervous but I guess I shall find out what their conversation was about when they entered the room. Apparently not too much had occurred these past two weeks, but I could see that adjusshi was holding back some things. I had a feeling he was holding back news about the aftermath of the showdown at the Blue House. I hadn't drudged up memories of the intense showdown because it only brought emotional pain which I didn't think would help my recovery. In due time, I would ask adjusshi to tell me what the news channels had reported about the showdown. I would not easily get over that so complete closure would take a while.

Two warm, welcoming smiles greeted me. My mother walked in carrying a bag and Nana was right behind her. It was the first time that I'd seen them more relaxed and less tense. Every day that my mother and Nana visited during the first week I was in the hospital I could easily read the concern about my well-being written all over their faces. I'd lost track of how many times they'd asked me "How are you feeling? Are you alright?" within these two weeks. I didn't want to worry my mother and Nana anymore so I focused on making a speedy recovery because I couldn't stand to look at their faces full of worry.

"You look good today, son. You look more energetic," my mother noted. Adjusshi got up from the seat and offered it to my mother. She pulled out three medium sized containers from her bag and placed them in front of me, then took a seat.

"What's this, umma*?"

Nana replied, "Your umma and me made some of your favorite dishes. We realized that you are sick and tired of the bland hospital food by now, so as a treat for your speedy recover we made your favorite foods."

The first container was a variety of kimbap*, the second container was ddeokbokki*, and the last container was kimchi*. This is the best looking food that I've seen in weeks! The hospital food I got these past two weeks was utterly miserable but I needed some sustenance so I ate the food anyway.

My mother's eyes light up with joy. A mother was always happy to feed her child their favorite food. "You want some?" I asked my mother, Kim Nana, and adjusshi.

"No," they responded simultaneously.

Handing me a pair of metal chopsticks, my mother spoke, "Don't worry about us, adhul*. This food was made especially for you. So dig in."

I began scarfing down the food in the three containers as if I were starving and had not eaten anything in weeks. The food instantaneously conjured up the feeling of being home. Doctor Woo entered my hospital room as I was eating my mother's and Nana's delicious dishes.

"This is the happiest I've seen you in the past two weeks. Then again having homemade food and being with your loved ones usually makes a person very cheerful," Doctor Woo remarked upon observing me. "I'm glad that you were able to make a speedy recover especially considered how severe your injuries were. I need to discuss with you about some things with you."

"Go on. I'm listening," I answered. I returned to eating the delicious dishes in front of me as I simultaneously paid attention to Doctor Woo.

"As you aware already Mr. Lee, I'm allowing you to be discharged from Kangbook Samsung Hospital today because your tests showed you made a speedy recovery and are able to go back to you regular life. I am going to request some restrictions that I'd like you to abide by for another week just to make sure you don't get re-hospitalized. Please restrain from overexerting your body, so I suggest leisure exercises like swimming and taking walks. Overexertion could cause more health complications due to the severe injuries you sustained from your bullet wound. Just take things easy one step at a time as you re-adjust to your regular life. Your file mentions you work at the National Communications Network Department in the Blue House which must be a pretty high-stress job. I strongly recommend you give a week and half before returning to work. Please refrain from overexerting and causing unnecessary stress on your body for another week or so and then you can resume your daily activities as you wish. When you return home, I strongly recommend resting this week and refrain from stressful activities. I would hate to have you be re-hospitalized when you had made such a swift recovery. Lastly, I'm going to give you two medicine prescriptions. I want you to take one tablet of each prescription a day. These medicines will assist in the full recovery of your bullet wound injury since it did re-open your previous bullet wound," Doctor Woo commented. Turning to my mother, "Please make sure your son follows my recommendations. It is for his overall well-being in the long run."

I rolled my eyes at his statement. Did he really think I would anything that would slow down my full recovery? I just wanted to return back to the normal swing of things as soon as possible.

Doctor Woo handed the two prescription medicines to my mother, then turned around to face me and handed me a pen. "Please sign here, Mr. Lee" he said pointing to the bottom of the hospital release document. I signed my name on the line at the bottom of the hospital release document and passed it back to Dr. Woo. "Now you are free to leave the hospital and return back to your regular life. If your bullet wound injury seems to be getting worse please come back here ASAP."

"Okay," I responded politely. Doctor Woo left my hospital room as Nurse Seo entered laying a neat stack of something at the foot of my bed. Upon closer examination, the neat pile sitting at the foot of my bed was my street clothes. Adjusshi or my mother must have brought a spare set of clothes since my clothes I wore when I came into the hospital two weeks ago were drenched in blood.

My mother took the empty containers and metal chopsticks from the table in front of me. "Kim Nana and I will be waiting in the main lobby, son." My mother and Kim Nana left the room.

Adjusshi was standing beside my bed. "Can you get up on your own or do you need me help you?" he inquired.

"I think I will be fine on my own. I'll quickly get changed and meet you, umma, and Kim Nana outside in main lobby."

I carefully maneuvered my body off from the bed but my body especially my left shoulder was still little sore since that was where my bullet wound injury was. I had to slowly move my body without causing too much soreness. I couldn't wait till I no longer felt soreness in my body especially my left shoulder. I grabbed my clothes neatly stacked from the foot of the bed and went to bathroom to change.

I was glad that I didn't have to wear these horrible hospital gowns anymore. I'd become sick and tired of Kangbook Samsung's hospital gowns that was light pink with a reoccurring daisy design. Unfortunately, hospitals in South Korea give their patients hospital gowns that is usually a pastel color and had different variety of flower designs on it. Clearly, they had not thought of making hospital gowns that were gender neutral.

It felt fantastic to be in normal street clothes again. Before leaving my hospital room, I took one last look at my room and reminisced of my last two weeks here. This room had been my home for the past two weeks, now I was returning back home back to my penthouse apartment. "Good-bye Kangbook Samsung Hospital. Hello new normal life...here I come," I muttered under my breath. I walked out of my hospital room and began making my way to the main lobby where my mother, Kim Nana, and adjusshi were waiting for me. When they saw me enter the main lobby, they began to saunter towards the main entrance of the hospital as I walked a few paces behind them.

"Wait here. I'll bring the car to the front," adjusshi instructed us.

A few minutes later, adjusshi pulled up to the front of the hospital in my silver Camry. Umma got into the front passenger seat, while Kim Nana and I got into the back seat. Adjusshi started the vehicle and drove away from the hospital. The car trip was pretty quiet as adjusshi and umma were talking in hushed tones and Kim Nana was busily typing away on her iPhone. I assumed Nana was dealing with some work-related issue because being the President's bodyguard was a very busy, high-stress, and dangerous job. Although, adjusshi and my umma talking in hushed tones was making me a bit suspicious. I had sharp senses and could pick up instantly when people weren't being their usual selves.

Breaking the silence, I inquired innocently, "So where exactly are we going, adjusshi?"

"Back to your penthouse apartment obviously. Where else would be going?" he replied with a slightly sarcastic tone. He was only usually sarcastic with me if he was in a bad mood or up to something.

There was definitely something going on and I would figure out what it was. What were my umma and adjusshi up to? I know they weren't dating because if they were I would it because umma would tell me. Adjusshi wasn't in trouble with any debt he owed because I frequently checked credit card activity through an application on my iPhone. Was umma's business running into financial trouble? She wouldn't tell me about such things because umma wouldn't want me to be worried about her. It was very frustrating trying to figure out what they were up to!

"You've got to be kidding me! I can't believe I forgot about that!" Nana exclaimed as she stared intently at her iPhone screen. This interrupted my deep contemplation.

Startled by Nana's sudden interjection, umma turned her head around in the front passenger seat to look at Nana. "What's wrong dear?"

Placing the iPhone on her knee looked up at umma, she explained, "I completely forgot that I had to meet Da-Hye today to give her graduation outfit and accessories! The graduation is only _two _days away! I'm sorry to have to re-route your trip, adjusshi, but could you please drop me at my apartment?"

Choi Da-hye was the daughter of President Choi. When Kim Nana became a bodyguard at the Blue House, her boss assigned her to be Da-Hye's bodyguard and babysitter to make sure she didn't get into trouble. Her boss wouldn't allow her to be the President's bodyguard because he felt it was too dangerous for Kim Nana and her colleague, Shin Eun-ah. Da-Hye had already gone through many bodyguards, but she eventually came to like Nana and Eun-ah since she didn't have any friends at school. The closest thing she had to friends was Nana and Eun-ah. They whipped Da-hye into shape getting her alter her trouble maker ways and to try to do good in her school academics.

"No problem, Nana," adjusshi answered while keeping his eyes focused on the road ahead. "I understand how your bodyguard duties keep you busy as you split now you time protecting Choi Da-hye and President Choi. Luckily we aren't too far away from your apartment building complex." He got into the nearest highway exit and began re-routing to Kim Nana's apartment.

Within ten to twenty minutes, adjusshi pulled into the narrow street and proceed down the end of the street where Nana's apartment complex was located. Kim Nana tossed her iPhone into her purse and got out of the car. Before shutting the car door behind her, she turned her gaze to me. "Yoon Sung-ssi, could you please help me with something?"

"Sure. Anything."

"I accidently placed some of the graduation accessories on the top shelf of a closet and I am slightly height challenged. Could you please reach up and get me those accessories I am not able to reach? I've got to hurry because Da-Hye is coming to my apartment soon to pick it up, so I want to make for certain I get all the graduation accessories."

"Of course, Nana. I would love to help you," I responded before Nana shut the car door behind her. "Adjusshi. Umma. I'll be right back." I got out of the car and trailed behind Nana as she made her way up the outdoor, concrete staircase to her apartment floor. She lived on the top floor.

Dashing to her apartment door, she shoved the key into the lock and ran into the apartment. Her apartment looked the about the same since the last time I was here. "In the spare guest room, I've put the graduation accessories in the top shelve portion of the closet in that room. I'm going to grab the graduation gown that I've hung in my room. Just be careful there are other random items on that top shelf." Nana described to me the items she had placed on the top shelf of that closet in the guest room. She headed to her room, while I headed to the spare guest room.

I opened the closet to find the section where clothes are hung empty but the top shelf, as Nana told me, to be cluttered with a variety of random items. The items ranges from personal items to miscellaneous gifts or toys. Carefully shifting the items on the top shelf, I didn't see any of the items that Nana had described. Just to make sure I didn't overlook them, I removed all the random items from the top shelf and lay them in a neat pile on the floor to have a more thorough examination to search for the graduation accessories. "I don't see any of those graduation accessories here," I reported back to Nana who was in the room next door.

"Hm...You sure you don't see anything, Yoon Sung-ssi? Did you look carefully to make sure you didn't overlook them maybe?"

"Yep. Nothing except random paraphernalia that isn't the graduation accessories," I clarified.

"Fantastic!" she shrieked with delight. "Actually, I found the accessories in the graduation gown garment bag. Sorry to make you search unnecessarily. I thought for sure I had put them on the top shelve of the guest room closet. Thanks for helping anyway."

"No problem, Nana." I quickly checked that I had my wallet and iPhone before leaving the guest room. It wouldn't do me any good if I accidently left them here.

"Surprise! Welcome home!" All my friend and family were gathered in Nana's small kitchen area. Eun-Ah, Ki-Joon*, Sun-Hee, Da-Hye, Nana, and Sang-Gook threw small amounts of confetti into the air; while adjusshi and umma held a medium sized red banner with silvery letters that read "Welcome home, Yoon Sung!"

I was utterly speechless. There were truly no words to describe how I felt that very moment. Lee Jin-Pyo had never thrown me any kind of celebrations my entire life. He had different priorities for my life that didn't involve petty things like celebration parties. All my beloved friend and family were gathered right in front of me had made the extra effort to arrange a surprise Homecoming celebration for me. This meant so much to me to know that they took time out of their busy schedules to plan this. This is the one thing that Lee Jin-Pyo never truly understood. No one could live in solitude their entire life because a lonely existence was a miserable life to live.

Ki-Joon and Eun-Ah rushed over to me and each gave me a bear hug. "We are so glad you are home, Yoon Sung-ssi!" they greeted me enthusiastically.

"Ki-Joon and I were so worried about you when you were in the hospital. Neither of us had time to visit you because both of our work schedules have gotten busier. Also, things have been hectic because I'm planning _our_ wedding that is next month!" Eun-Ah said. She raised her right hand to show off her engagement ring. It was a simple, solitaire diamond ring with yellow-gold band.

"Congratulations to you two! I didn't know you two had gotten engaged! That's wonderful! I'm so happy for you guys." They were perfect for each other and had great chemistry together. Once they started dating, I figured they would get engaged and married eventually.

"Thanks, Yoon Soon-ssi. You were greatly missed in the National Communication Network Team. The entire IT team has gotten so used to you sitting behind your desk that you being absent for two weeks felt weird. It's wonderful you made a speedy recovery!" Ki-Joon said with a warm, friendly smile. Ki-Joon updated me on what had occurred the past two weeks at National Communication Network Team. From what Ki-Joon told me, it sounds like that our department had been hectic.

While Ki-Joon and I were discussing work related topics, I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Eun-Ah was getting a bit restless and continuously glancing at her watch. Either she thought Ki-Joon's conversation was dull because she couldn't relate with it or she had was in a hurry for some sort of appointment. Her patience was rapidly wearing thin. Unable to be patient any longer, she cleared her throat. Interjecting her fiancée's conversation, Eun-Ah spoke with an annoyed tone, "Ki-Joon. Did you forget about that _thing_ we had to do today? We _cannot_ be late to this appointment or we'll have to wait another week to get another appointment. We were lucky to be able to get an appointment on such short notice, so if you want to make it on time we've gotta leave _now_!"

He stared at her in bewilderment as he deeply pondered about what she meant. After a few minutes of pondering, his eyes widen in shock as Ki-Joon realized what Eun-Ah meant by her abrupt statement. "Omo*! Aish*! I almost completely forgot about our appointment today! If we are going to able to make our appointment we've got to leave now!" Eun-ah and Ki-Joon profusely apologized for having to leave my Homecoming party early. They had an appointment with a bakery to decide and select a wedding cake for their wedding reception.

I didn't notice Da-Hye who was standing a few feet behind Eun-Ah and Ki-Joon. After they said their farewell, they dashed out of the apartment. Da-Hye must have been waiting patiently to talk with me. With a wide grin across her face, Da-Hye walked towards me, she exclaimed, "Yoon Sung oppa! We are so glad you are out of the hospital! We were all so worried about you especially _me_! I persistently pleaded and begged my uppa* to lemme accompany Eun-Ah and Nana noona to visit you in Kangbook Samsung Hospital. Uppa was _very_ adamant that I devote my time solely to studying for my final exams. If I didn't score at least a C on my final exams I'd be grounded for a month and have some privileges take away. I'm so glad that you made a quick recovery from your injury!"

Recently I'd found out that Da-Hye's uppa and the current President of South Korea was my biological father. She must not be aware of this knowledge yet. With Choi Eung-chan being my biological father, this made Da-Hye and I half-siblings. Maybe one day she'll find out that we're half-siblings.

When she finds out this revelation, she will act differently towards me. I look forward to see her reaction when she realizes I'm her older half-brother. It will surely be entertaining and funny to witness.

These past several months since I began frequently meeting with President Choi, Da-Hye has had a major schoolgirl crush and been very smitten with me. She insistently pleaded with her uppa to pay me to be her tutor. Her dad had no option but to give into her request because his daughter had never show any desire or motivation in her school academics before. The short amount of time I was her personal tutor, I discovered that Da-Hye was actually a decent student if she put genuine effort into her academics. It seems her efforts and hard work paid off since she was able to get through her senior year of high school and pass all her final exams with B's. Kim Nana told me that she wasn't planning on attending university, instead aspires to get some more experience as a barista so she can open her own coffee shop one day. Da-Hye has been working at a local coffee shop as a coffee barista for the past few months now. She must have enjoyed her job as a barista if she aspires to open her own coffee shop someday. She had more street smarts rather than book smarts which will make her an effective, successful business person. Da-Hye has now figured out what she wants to do with her life. Her barista job helped to reveal a hidden talent and desire she never knew she had before. I'm so proud of my younger half-sister.

"It sure is wonderful to be back home after being in the hospital for the past two weeks. Kim Nana told me the great news that you graduated high school with passing grades. Congratulations Da-Hye! I knew you would be able to get through high school even if your academics were difficult for you sometimes," I replied.

The grin never left her face in fact it just grew wider after I said my comment. She gleefully responded, "Thank you! There were so many people who had faith in me. This was my source of motivation to do be best in my academics and graduate from high school. Even when my academics were challenging at times, I reminded myself that I couldn't disappoint my uppa, Eun-Ah and Nana noona, and especially _you_."

While I was half-listening to whatever Da-Hye was talking about, I subtly noted how Sun-Hee was doing her best to maintain a cheerful appearance and facial expression, but her eyes revealed her inner emotional pain. Majority of people here couldn't see this subtle fact, but I personally understood what it like to have to pretend what it is like to have to force yourself to look happy when all you felt were conflicted with deep emotional pain. Sun-Hee was Prosecutor Kim Young Joo's ex-wife, but they remained close friends after their divorce. His tragic and sudden death deeply affected those who were close to him _particularly_ Kim Nana and Hwang Sun-Hee. Young Joo's father, Kim Jong Shik, blames me entirely for his son's death. That greedy bastard doesn't have the slightest idea about why his son risked his own life to help me when I was known as City Hunter. Now that his son was dead, Jong Shik felt overwhelmed with guilt for estranging himself from Young Joo who was once close to decades years ago. Some of Prosecutor Young Joo's last words included to forgive his father. I will _never_ forgive that son of a bitch! _He_ is the reason that Nana's umma is dead. Nana has had to deal with so much loss and emotional pain lately. Young Joo unexpectedly died and her comatose father just passed away recently. For years she has been taking care of her comatose father hoping that out of the many medical treatments she could afford that_ one_ of them would make her father wake up from his coma. I'm so thankful that I'm still alive despite my severe bullet wound. If I had died, I don't think Nana would have been about to handle losing _three_ of her loved ones in such a short period of time.

Suddenly, I realized that I had been so lost in thoughts that I had no idea what Da-Hye had just told me. "I don't mean to rudely interrupt you, Da-Hye," I began. "But...there's a delicious cake sitting on the kitchen table that is calling my name. Also, I would love to continue to chat with you, but I've got to talk with the other guests here."

"It's not a problem maybe later we can finish our conversation. I wouldn't want to the others to think I'm hogging all you attention," she said with a light chuckle.

Apparently, Da-Hye must still have a crush on me. She knows the only women I love is Kim Nana, but that doesn't stop her from trying I guess. This schoolgirl crush of hers will definitely end when she discovers I'm her older half-brother.

I sauntered towards the kitchen table and scanned the slices of cake on the bright blue colored plates. I searched for my favorite piece of cake which is the corner piece. The corner piece of a cake had the most icing on it. The cake was a red velvet cake with rich vanilla icing which was my favorite type of cake. Upon locating a corner piece slice of cake, I snatched the plate with this piece and a fork. After the first bite of the cake, I realized this one of the best red velvet cake I've had. I continued to devour my slice of the cake.

"How's the cake?" a woman's voice asked me. Spinning around, I found that the woman's voice belonged to Sun-Hee.

Shoving the remainders of the cake in my mouth and swallowing, I responded giving my signature smile, "The cake was absolutely delicious!"

"That's wonderful. Kim Nana and I weren't sure what your favorite type of cake was and took a chance with the red velvet cake. How are you feeling? You look much better than when I visited you in the hospital a week ago."

Sun-Hee was a veterinarian, but she had treated me when I was shot in my left shoulder a month or so back because I refused to be treated at a hospital. I was in a stage of my revenge scheme that I couldn't let my enemies figure out my identity, so going to a hospital to be treated was out of the question. I didn't have to bullshit and lie saying that "I'm doing fine" to Sun-Hee like I've had to with the rest of my friends and family. "I'm doing fine" was enough to make my friends and family not worry about me. "I'm definitely feeling much better, but my left shoulder is still slightly sore since that bullet re-opened my previous bullet wound that was only semi-healed," I admitted with complete honesty.

"Nana told me how seriously wounded you were. You are so fortunate you were able to make a quick recovery. Such a severe wound and excessive blood loss could have killed you."

"I'm very grateful to be alive after the hellish ordeals I went through these past several months. The reason I could make a speedy recovery was because I have so many wonderful friends and family who were by my side the entire two weeks I was recovering in the hospital," I stated.

The happy glint in her eyes suddenly faded away to reveal her deep sorrow. "I was afraid that I would lose another close friend. Young Joo-ssi had just died and I couldn't handle it if you had died..."she spoke softly then paused unable to finish her sentence. Turning her face aside, Sun-Hee wiped her cheek with the palm of her hand. "I'm fine I promise it's just been a bit difficult to deal with everything."

Gently grasping her shoulders, I murmured quietly, "Sun-Hee. Look at me." She met my gaze. "You don't have to pretend to be okay when you are around me. You don't need to go through your emotional pain by yourself. If you ever need someone to talk to you can always call me. You aren't alone in this. I completely empathize how it feels to deal with an overwhelming amount of grief."

Wrapping her arms around me, Sun-Hee simply replied, "Thank you Yoon Sung-ssi."

"No problem. You are one of my close friends. I can't bear to continue seeing you so sullen and downcast all the time. I've always known you to be rational with an optimistic perspective at life," I whispered softly as I stroked her hair consolingly. She began reminiscing about Prosecutor Kim Young Joo with highlights of his life and the good memories they had along with details of his final days. Complete closure from his tragic death would take time to awhile. Both of us had lost a beloved person for her it was Kim Young Joo and for me it was my stepfather, Lee Jin Pyo. It was great to have someone to talk with who understood your circumstance and internal emotional pain. We chatted for almost fifteen minutes venting our internal sorrow and grief that had been rapidly building up inside of each of us.

Unwrapping her arms around me, Sun-Hee wiped the few tears that had collected on her cheek. "Thank you for allowing me to vent my emotional distress. These past two weeks have been very difficult to cope with and overall emotionally draining. Just like you told me to call you if it feels my sorrow is overwhelming. You can drop by my office or call me whenever you need someone to talk," she reminded me. "I'm going to see if Nana or ahjumma* need help putting things away." Sun-Hee made her way to the kitchen.

It seems that the guests remaining were busy in conversations or helping clean up or putting things away. I insisted that I wanted to help umma, adjusshi, and Nana, but they _outright_ refused to make me help clean up at _my_ Homecoming party. Being released from the hospital this afternoon, my body was getting adjusted to standing on my feet for hours at a time. I have been lying in my hospital bed for most of these past two weeks so my body was re-adjusting. After standing on my feet for almost an hour and a half to two hours now, my body was a bit sore and tired so I decided to take a seat on the couch.

It was a good time to take a break and check my e-mail on my iPhone. I hadn't been to work in two weeks, but I still got e-mails while I was in the hospital. It seems that the National Communication Network Team department has been very stressed nowadays with various IT tasks. President Choi Eung-chan's five year presidency term was ending at the end of this month. The information about his personal involvement in The Sweep Mission of 1983 didn't entirely get leaked out to the public, but many government officials were aware of this knowledge and the details. President Choi wanted to end his Presidency on a somewhat good note. The National Communications Network Team was in the process of transitioning many files and documents to make room for the new President candidate elected. In South Korea, a President serves a five year term with _no_ re-election. In the hospital, I usually didn't watch the news channels so I do not know who the Presidential candidates are. I'd be returning back to the National Communication Network Team Department during a time of high stress and pressure. This will not be beneficial for my overall health as I'm still not completely recovered from my severe bullet wound injury. As much as I hated to contemplate the option of quitting my job at National Communication Network Team, I realize that by continuing my job there I am not making any progress towards pursuing a normal life. These past several months I've worked at the Blue House I've gotten close to some of my work colleagues in my own department and other departments. I don't know how long it will take me to find another job in the IT industry that doesn't risk my life and endanger my loved ones' safety.

My attention was focused on reading through the recent e-mails the National Communication Network Team had sent everyone in our department. I skimmed most of the information within the e-mails, since I hadn't been back to work almost two weeks. I only understood about half of the content referenced in the e-mail anyway. _Ping! _A new e-mail titled "Please read ASAP" popped up on the screen from an unrecognizable e-mail. I pondered whether or not I should open up this suspicious e-mail from an unknown e-mail address. This was either one of those obnoxious spam e-mails or someone who knows my work e-mail is attempting to contact me via an unknown e-mail address. In the end, I decided I would open up the e-mail just to see whether I knew the sender or not. The e-mail message read:

Hello Yoon Sung,

This is President Choi. I am using my daughter's e-mail to contact you. Da-Hye told me that you were released from the hospital today. I'm glad that you survived your severe injury. When you were shot two weeks ago, I thought I had lost you but you are survivor and refused to give up on life. No one else except you and my body guards including Kim Nana know what truly happened during that showdown. I need to meet with you ASAP because there is still unfinished business we need to discuss privately. My daughter will give you my personal cell number. Call me whenever you have time so we can arrange a time to meet somewhere.

I re-read the message several times over to figure out how to respond to this e-mail. I tapped the "reply" icon on the screen. I honestly didn't know how to reply to this e-mail from President Choi. There was definitely unfinished business we needed to talk about in private regarding the showdown two weeks ago and other important matters. My mind was drawing blank on a response I should give to his e-mail, so I decided reply to President Choi's e-mail later. After the fiasco the showdown created, President Choi must have been cautious to mention certain details that were completely private matters via his work e-mail. Only few high-level personnel in the IT department have permission to read his work e-mails, so they can protect him from any death threats or dangers. Our unfinished business was strictly to be kept between ourselves. No one else besides us needs to know.

"What's wrong, Yoon Sung? You look like you're worried about something."

Snapping out of my internal musings, I looked besides me to see who was talking to me. I have no idea how long Sang-gook had been sitting next to me or if he just recently sat down.

"Hey Sang-gook. Long time no see," I replied. "Oh nothing is wrong just confused some of the content of recent work e-mail. Being in the hospital for the past two weeks, I'm very out of the loop of what has and is occurring in the National Communication Network Team division. How have you been?" Even though I've slowly come to realize Sang-gook wasn't an asshole, I still don't entirely trust him. It will take some time before I can trust him, since for the longest time I've known him as being my stepfather's right-hand henchmen.

"Truthfully, these past two weeks I've been conflicted with many thoughts and emotions. Up till several months ago, I had been unemployed for a while. Suddenly out of the blue, Jin Pyo adjusshi contacted me to meet in his office. He knew all about me along with my background and offered to employ me as his right-hand man to carry out revenge against the government officials involved in the Sweep Mission. Somehow, he knew that my hyung* was one of the men killed in the Sweep Mission. I accepted his offer because I could revenge for the bastards that killed my hyung. Lee Jin Pyo could be a son of a bitch sometimes, but it was his assistance and resources I was able to uncover what truly happened. There were rare moments when he was actually a decent, tolerable human being. Usually, Jin Pyo was cold, heartless son-of-a-bitch as you are aware of this fact. These past two weeks I've been trying to sort out my conflicted thoughts about Jin Pyo adjusshi since his death. It feels so weird that he is dead because I had gotten used to working for him around the clock carrying out his various tasks without asking any questions." Sang-gook's facial expression revealed his emotional confliction.

I was completely unaware of his reason for working as my stepfather's right-hand man, but everything made sense now. He accepted Jin Pyo's unusual job offer because just like me wanted to get avenge the people who had killed someone close to them. These past two weeks I refused to think about my stepfather because it only brought emotional pain that would slow down my recover from my severe bullet wound. Now that I've been released from the hospital I can no longer put off thoughts that are regarding my stepfather. As difficult it would be to deal with my emotional pain I could not avoid it any longer if I wanted complete closure to move on with my life.

"Only you and I knew the _real_ Lee Jin Pyo who as you said was generally a ruthless bastard but once in a blue moon would act like an actual, decent human being. These past two weeks I've been in the hospital I've banished all thoughts about my stepfather because I didn't want to slow my recover. Now, I will have to come face-to-face with my conflicted thoughts regarding my stepfather. It will take us a long time to get our conflicted thoughts and emotions of Lee Jin Pyo completely sorted out, but no matter how difficult of a task this it is necessary step for us. Both of us have got to move on with our lives. We can't keep living in the past. My stepfather wouldn't want us to stop living our lives just because he was dead," I remarked with a solemn tone.

None of spoke for several minutes as we silently acknowledged that despite the daunting task it required to sort out our conflicted emotions and thoughts about Lee Jin Pyo it was the only way to move on with our lives. It was nice to have someone else who understood why when I think about my stepfather who I've lived with my entire live it was conflicting. Sometimes I wish that I had grown up with a guardian who showed me more love and nurtured me, but my stepfather raised me to become a strong, resilient person. I've learned many valuable lessons from Jin Pyo that I will never forget. He showed love to others in unconventional ways. Jin Pyo always protected me by looking out for my well-being and this is how he showed his love.

Sang-gook and I continued our conversation. "Next week I was going to visit Jin Pyo adjusshi's grave. This is the only way for me to find peace with my internal confliction. It will help me to move on and continue living my life. I know that adjusshi will always be watching over me in spirit," Sang-gook stated.

"That sounds like a good idea, Sang-gook. It would be beneficial to both of us if we find peace with our confliction sooner rather than later. It would be worse to continue living our lives like a zombie. Would you mind if I accompanied you to my stepfather's grave?"

"Of course not, Yoon Sung. Oh you just reminded me of something. Adjusshi told me to give you a manila folder right before leaving to confront President Choi. He had told me that he had no desire to continue living once his revenge had been completely carried out. Adjusshi said it was important that I deliver a manila folder after his passed away. He didn't specify what was in the manila folder, but heavily emphasized that you need retrieve it soon. Whenever you are ready, the manila folder is sitting on his desk in his apartment. Lee Jin Pyo's lawyer contacted me a few days back that adjusshi's will would be read this Friday. I will notify you when I find out more information about the location where the lawyer wants all of Jin Pyo's loved ones to meet for the reading of his will," Sang-gook informed me.

"Thank you for notifying me. Just tell me where I should meet you and his lawyer on Friday whenever you figure out the location."

"It's getting late and I've got to be at my part-time job soon. It was great to catch up with you and see how you have been. If you need someone to vent to about Jin Pyo adjusshi, feel free to call me. I'm not that busy nowadays except for random part-time jobs I do every so often."

Sang-gook rose from the couch and headed towards the door. We barely associated with each other when my stepfather was alive, but now we were slowly becoming acquaintances. One day I would be able to trust him, but it will take me some time before that happens.

There were very few guests left now that it was nearly 10 o'clock at night. Only Nana, adjusshi, umma, and Sun-Hee were remaining. They had practically finished cleaning up and putting things away from the party. The apartment looked like how it usually did.

Getting up from the couch, I sauntered towards the kitchen where everyone else was. Most of the red velvet cake was finished with only a few slices remaining on the kitchen table. Nana and Sun-Hee had taken the remaining plastic utensils from kitchen table and were returning them back into their various containers. Adjusshi was putting the remainder of party favors neatly back into a small cardboard box. Umma was vacuuming the floor to get rid of leftover confetti lying around kitchen area.

"Can I help with anything?" I asked them collectively. It didn't look like there was much to clean up or put away but I feel horrible to be making them do all of it. Even though it _my _Homecoming Party, I wanted to help clean up. When I first asked them, all of them wouldn't allow me to clean up at my own party. I have a feeling I'm going to get the same response but I feel completely useless and lazy right now. We were the only four people remaining, since all the other guests had left a long time ago.

Kim Nana and Sun-Hee didn't respond to my questions because they were engrossed in their own conversation. Adjusshi was muttering something under his breathe, so he might not have heard me either. Only my mother replied to my question. "Don't worry adhul. There isn't much left to clean up or put away so you can just sit and relax. I don't want you to overexert yourself right after being released from the hospital," she responded in tender tone.

"I feel bad that you, adjusshi, Nana, and Sun-Hee are doing all of the clean up and packing up. You guys should be enjoying yourself not dedicating most of your time to cleaning up. Please don't worry about me, umma. I won't overexert myself. I don't want to let all of you do all the work. Please...lemme help out in some way," I begged.

My mother contemplated for a few minutes then exchanged glances with Nana, adjusshi, and Sun-Hee to get their feedback. Silently, they were determining whether to nor to let me help out by doing a simple task that wouldn't involve overexerting myself. It was nearly impossible to figure out what their glances meant exactly.

With slight hesitation in his voice, adjusshi said, "Fine. If it will make you stop persistently bombarding us with the same request. I've put all the remains of the party favors and decorations in this small cardboard box. It would be horrible for it to go to waste, so we decided to pack it up since it can be used for future parties or celebrations. Your umma and I thought it would be best if we kept back at your penthouse apartment, but Nana insists to store the box in her spare bedroom. Nana wants the cardboard box to be placed next to the closet in the spare bedroom."

Carefully maneuvering past umma, Nana, and Sun-Hee, I picked up the small cardboard box sitting on the kitchen floor. The cardboard box was rather lightweight. I entered the spare bedroom and was determining on which side of the closet to put the box. There needed to be enough place to move around without worrying about running into miscellaneous objects lying around the room. There was enough clutter in the spare bedroom. In the end, I decided to put the cardboard box on the left side of closet which was close to the corner of the room, so Nana had more than enough space to move in the room. I made my way back to the kitchen.

Umma, Nana, adjusshi, and Sun-Hee had completely finished cleaning up and putting things away. They were standing in the small kitchen area chatting with each other. Noticing me out of the corner of her eye, Sun-Hee broke away from the group and began to walk towards me. Her purse was slung on her shoulder which indicated she was going to be leaving pretty soon. Sun-Hee had to get up to go to work tomorrow and she lived about 25-30 minutes away from Nana's apartment.

"I'm so glad that you were able to make it today," I began. "I know that you must be exhausted after a long work day, but I'm glad that my friend was able to make it to my Homecoming Party today. I know that you spend a lot of time helping to clean up, so I hope that you were able to enjoy yourself still."

Giving me a bear hug, she replied, "How could I possibly miss your Homecoming Party? All of us are overjoyed that you were able to be released from the hospital today. Even if I had a busy, tiring day at work, I wouldn't miss your Homecoming Party. Of course I enjoyed myself! I got to meet some new people and see people that I haven't seen in a while."

"That's good to hear. I was worried that you didn't enjoy yourself since you spend a good portion of time cleaning up. I know that you have to get up for work tomorrow and it is getting late. We could meet up for lunch sometime later this week since I didn't have enough time to catch up with you."

"Definitely Yoon Sung-ssi! That sounds like a great idea. A few weeks ago, I discovered a fantastic local restaurant nearby my office. You would love the food at this restaurant," my friend remarked.

"I trust your judgment and I'm look forward to trying out this new restaurant. You can call or text me what day and time would be best to meet up for lunch this week. Thanks again for coming tonight, Sun-Hee."

Sun-Hee loosened her grip around me and adjusted her purse that was nearly sliding off of her shoulder. "Sounds good. I shall let you know by tomorrow what day and time would be best to meet you this week for lunch." She began to make her way towards the door.

"We're going to be heading out now, Yoon Sung," adjusshi said. "Before going back to your penthouse apartment, I need to drop your umma at her place."

"I don't need a ride back to my apartment tonight. I was going to ask Nana if I could sleep in her spare bedroom tonight. It's been a long time since Nana and I have spent quality time together since I've been in the hospital. Tomorrow I will return back to my apartment," I replied. I've missed Kim Nana so much these past two weeks. Even though she visited me in the hospital almost every day, we didn't have enough time to talk and catch up. I hated how many of my loved ones treated like I was fragile as glass when they visited me in the hospital. Now, Nana didn't have to be worry that much about my condition.

He nodded in understanding. "Okay, that's not a problem. You can give me a call tomorrow when you want me to pick you up."

Giving me a loving embrace, my umma said with a light-hearted smile, "I'm so glad that you were able to be released from the hospital today. Don't overexert yourself this week and slowly ease yourself into the normal swing of things. I'll stop by tomorrow after work and bring some food for you."

"Thank you umma. I'll be careful not to strain myself and slowly ease back to my normal life. Actually, I wanted to stop by your shop tomorrow around lunch time with adjusshi," I replied as I hugged my mother back.

"That is so sweet of you, son. I look forward to see you tomorrow around lunch. I should be heading out I've got to get up early to open up the shop." Releasing me from her tender embrace, my mother kissed my forehead before walking to the door to leave. Adjusshi followed a few steps behind my mother as they left Nana's apartment.

I'm glad that I was able to find my biological mother when I returned back to South Korea this year after realizing that my stepfather had lied to me about her being deceased. Now, I have been able to have the loving, caring parent that I've always dreamed of since I was a young boy. It absolutely breaks my heart that my umma lived most of her life without ever really knowing if her son was still alive. It makes me overly joyed to know that now I can spend the rest of my life re-building my relationship with my mother.

Just from my mere observation, I could tell that Nana was beat after a long day at work and then planning this surprise Homecoming Party for me. She walked away from the kitchen towards the living room. Collapsing on the comfy couch, Nana curled up in comfortable position. Today had been a tiring day for her.

Gently lifting her into my arms, I was going carry Nana to her bed so she would be able to sleep more restfully. She was somewhat out of it as she faded in and out of light sleep. I cautiously walked towards her bedroom so not to rouse her from her sleep. Carefully balancing her in my arms, I managed to pull the top sheets off her bed and softly place her in the sheets. She murmured something incoherent under her breathe as she seemed to be falling asleep. I placed the sheets over her body so she would get cold at night. Just as I began to walk away, Nana firmly grasped my forearm.

"Don't leave, Yoon Sung-ssi," she spoke in a soft voice.

"You've had a long day, Nana. We can spend time tomorrow when you aren't feeling exhausted," I said. "You need you sleep. There will be enough time tomorrow to spend time with me."

"You make a good point. At least stay here till I fall asleep. I just want to be near you. I've missed you so much these two weeks." Her eyes were shut as her voice slowly trailed off as she began to fall back asleep.

Affectionately holding her hand, I sat on the edge of her bed and watched her serene facial expressions as she fell fast asleep. Nana has had so much to deal with these past two weeks, so I wasn't going to deny her this small request. There has been no one to comfort her as she has been grieving her friend, Prosecutor Young Joo, and her comatose father. I felt tired also but I would wait till Nana was asleep before I left. Within twenty minutes, the firm grasp she had on my hand loosened which indicated she was fast asleep. Letting go of her hand, I leaned in close to her face and kissed her forehead before quietly leaving her room.

I didn't feel like setting up the bed in the spare room, so I would sleep on the couch today. The couch didn't allow me to stretch out comfortably but I had no energy left in me to set up the bed on the floor in the spare room. Tonight I wouldn't complain about the length of couch being too short for me to sleep comfortably. At this point, I don't even care about not having my pajamas to sleep it. I would be going back to my penthouse apartment tomorrow, so I would just sleep in the clothes I'm wearing. After almost ten minutes, I finally managed to find a comfy position to sleep in. Deep slumber washed over me as I closed my eyes.

* * *

_Yoon Sung is back home from the hospital and must now figure out what to do with his life as he pursues a normal life. Stay tuned for Chapter 7 to see just exactly what Yoon Sung decides to do in order to have a normal life. Will it be everything that he hoped it would be? Or is it just plain impossible to even have a "normal" life? Hmmm...I guess we shall have to wait and see in the next chapter! _

_I will do my best to update soon...but that will depend on how much time I have to work on my fanfiction stories becuz my classes keep me very busy. _


End file.
